The Question of a First Time
by me3ka
Summary: This takes place when the group comes around to Bilibin with the addition of Mia. As their first Inn visit as a whole, how will the rooms be divided up? Take a wild guess. IsaacxMia. Mudshipping. Implied flameshipping in a single sentence. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

_**Well, it didn't take very long to write this up, and I'm very pleased with how it came out. :'D**_

Ivan: You wrote an IsaacxHama story. You're still a traitor to your ship.

… _**This is my apology letter. In a sense.**_

Sheba: There was hardly anything good in this chapter. Weren't you going for a one-shot?

_**...IT TURNED INTO A TWO-SHOT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE.**_

Ivan: Or, you got lazy.

_**Hey, I can totally edit out your name and leave a blank where it should be. At least you debuted in this one. Sheba's had no fame yet.**_

Sheba: I'm already famous. I don't need you to glorify me.

Ivan: …

_**Don't say that, Sheba. Or we'll never get to windshipping.**_

Sheba: D:

Ivan: D:

_**Heheheh. I'm so good.**_

_**

* * *

**_**DISCLAIMER:** Camelot is the true blue owner to the wonderful game of Golden Sun. Sob.

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two-shot.  
IsaacxMia [mudshipping]  
_**The Question of a First Time  
**_Chapter One.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but the discussion of cost threw me off completely. What are the possible room arrangements for four people again? Y'know, for a clarification."

The Bilibin Innkeeper stared hard at Garet with undeniably tired eyes. "Four can go in a single bedroom with two beds or two bedrooms with two beds. And, no," the Innkeeper added in a monotonous voice when Garet opened his mouth to make another inquiry, "There are absolutely no exceptions as written in Bilibin law. ESPECIALLY for you." The tired stare furrowed into a hostile one, so as to prompt Garet to back away from the counter. The Mars Adept did so without another word.

"Good for nothing, lazy, bad service," were just a jumble of the nice words Garet was uttering under his breath as he made his way back into the Inn's lounge, where his friends were enjoying a hot meal, each one different to its respective owner.

"Judging by the oh so cheery look on your face, I'd say we're in a bit of a pickle," Ivan commented in a lively manner as Garet rejoined the group by taking his seat.

"Damn straight," Garet grunted, humorless. He stabbed at his sandwich and stew with a stony expression. "The Innkeeper just doesn't like me and wants me screwed over. So, in turn, you guys are being screwed over by association." Annoyance laced every word out of the redhead's mouth, which was then stuffed with a huge bite of sandwich. "I'm thinkin' Bilibin has the worst service ever. And, and, this sandwich is mediocre."

"Don't take it out on the poor chef. He's troubled by the Kolima curse," Mia chided in a hushed tone, inclining her head slightly to the man in a chef hat in Garet's peripheral vision. Garet rolled his eyes, and turned to Isaac, who was beginning to look rather sheepish.

"Come on, now," The Venus Adept laughed softly, waving a hand in a failed physical attempt to dispel the rising of his best friend's temper. "What were the options you were given?"

"One room with two beds or two with two." Garet put up his fingers lamely, an attempted, yet unsuccessful, diagram of the two choices. "Sorry, Mia, but you're going to have to be paired with one of us guys for the night." He sighed and lowered his hands, "This situation is pretty new to us, ma'am. And it doesn't help that it seems I've lost my people skills."

"You never had any to begin with," Ivan quipped cheerfully, making it very obvious that he was doing his best to grind on Garet's nerves as much as he could. Isaac, who was used to this kind of interaction, and Mia, who was not, looked on silently as Garet's anger peaked and manifested in the form of a table pound.

"Like you would even know, runt! Back in Vale-…!"

"You should just stop now. I have mind reading abilities, remember?"

"It's not like you've ever Mind Read me for that!"

"I don't know. Sometimes you're sleeping, sometimes I'm bored…"

"…! You little bastard! What have you looked at? That's an invasion!"

"But you're kind of boring anyway-…"

"You shouldn't know my life-…!"

"And it's not like you see much past Jen-…"

"Shut up! I am so going to pulverize you!"

"Guys… GUYS!" Mia stood up suddenly, her expression nervously controlled as she Doused the two boys with an adequate amount of water. The two stared at her mutely, mild irritation flashing in Garet's eyes and silent apology in Ivan's. "Okay. This is going to be very basic, so listen up—NO fighting at the table." She lowered and crossed her arms, a momentary figure of authority. "Alright?"

"Sorry. Yes, ma'am." Ivan, of course.

"Got it," a low grumble. Garet and his reluctance.

"Okay. Good." Mia happily took her seat and began to stir around her stew busily. Garet, ever the instigator, started with evident protest:

"But, HE started it!"

"Garet, please." Mia frowned at the boy and lifted her palm, which began to shine with a blue light – a warning. Garet backed down with a pout as Ivan and Isaac stifled their laughter. "Anyway, before you boys started an uproar with your quarrels, I was going to say that I don't care how the rooming goes, one way or other." She looked around the table with a brilliant smile. "It's just for the night, and I trust you all. Equally."

Isaac found himself smiling all too widely, and slowly lessened his expression into that of a casual grin. She hadn't said, I trust you already, Isaac, because we just have that kind of compatibility. She'd said she'd trusted them all. Equally. This reflection was slightly depressing and caused the evaporation of his smile completely. The other two, however, beamed around at each other in revelation of the newest team member's acceptance of them.

"You can't mean that. Especially with Garet's clumsy and reckless behavior. Surely, you must still have your doubts with hi-…" Ivan dodged a habitual blow from Garet and lifted his hands so as to highlight this action. "Exhibit A. Uncalled-for violence." The trouble-inducing kid smiled brightly at Mia, who laughed openly at his statement and Garet's reaction.

"You little-…!" Garet blindly threw another punch, which was once again effectively evaded by the agile Jupiter Adept.

Mia giggled at what could be called the duo's performance, and looked over at Isaac expectantly. Isaac returned the stare and chuckled as well, nodding at the bantering two.

"You get used to it after a while."

"I'm already getting there," she replied happily, smiling down at her food. Isaac watched her, without a reply, while his comrades continued their arguing and Mia looked on with an excitable interest. She was the newest, and unexpected, party member, having only just been an addition for about a week and a few days, but she was already filling in the role of referee, which had previously been given to Isaac by default. Unlike Isaac's handling of the job, though, Mia seemed to have taken a liking to the all-too necessary position.

It was refreshing, the way she had just clicked into perfection with the rest of the group. Her charisma had been highly praised back in Imil, but Isaac had assumed it was a 'since childhood' kind of admiration. After the events at the Mercury Lighthouse, however, he had begun to correctly pin her as a devoted and courageous person, but it was only now that there were new depths to her person being reached, and he was particularly admiring to every new level. He had, of course, felt the pull of an attraction at first sight; it wasn't to be unexpected. After all, Mia was a very beautiful girl- not many could make Isaac do a double take while still staring at the same spot.

However, Isaac had brushed aside the feeling, jumping to the conclusion that it was the typical guy hormones that were dominating his opinion- and now, more than ever, he had to be the kind of person to evaluate a newcomer fairly and critically, no matter how nice they were to look at. But, it was different, the opposite of the result he had expected in getting to know her. The more he learned, the more he was drawn in...

"ANYWAY." Garet took his seat forcefully, glaring at Ivan in a tell-tale manner. Ivan avoided the heated gaze and continued on the remnants of his lunch. "Now that Miss Mia has agreed to go with this weird room-sharing deal, we gotta decide who's gonna... be paired with who."

"You were going to say, who's going to sleep with who."

"SHUT UP, IVAN. That aside, we need some sort of method, a roll of dice, a flip of a coin, drawing straws, or something that will help us decide." Garet nodded to himself, suddenly very thoughtful. "Clever. Wait. Mind-racking?" He seemed to be slowly confusing himself. Isaac blinked, slightly alarmed. Suddenly, Garet leaped from his chair. Startled, the others stood up just as quickly.

"W-what is it?"

"Geez, suddenly doing that..."

"Garet, what's wrong?"

Isaac, Ivan, and Mia, respectively, looked at Garet with bewildered expressions, each tweaked to a variant degree. Garet grabbed Ivan's wrist in a well-calculated dive and pulled the younger boy out of the Inn's lounge with him while shouting, "I JUST REMEMBERED SEEING A DJINNI IN THIS CLEVER UNDERGROUND PLACE, AND IT'S ONE OF YOURS. WE GOTTA GET IT, NOW."

The two disappeared from view with Ivan's last yelp of, "GAH, BUT DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO DRAMATIC," leaving Isaac and Mia simultaneously staring after them, dumbfounded.

"Well," Isaac started carefully, turning to grin slowly at Mia as he took his seat. "I forgot that Garet tends to act rather rashly when a forgotten idea re-enters his head. He's been that way since... forever."

"I guess it should be okay not to go after them..."

"Nah, they'll be okay. But maybe they'll come back with a good idea on how to sort this out," Isaac laughed.

"Does Ivan always end up in tow?" The blue-haired girl asked with a soft smile. She pushed back the last bit of her stew, symbolizing her completion with the meal, and hesitantly watched Isaac as he put on a pensive face.

"That's only started recently. As you know, Ivan started traveling with us just before you joined in." He made sure to flourish the finishing concept of the sentence with a big smile, and Mia smiled back shyly in return.

"Oh, that's right. I'm constantly forgetting that it was only you and Garet to start." She frowned suddenly, puzzled. "Wait. The Healer of your Sanctum asked you two alone to bear the burden of this quest?"

"It seems awfully under-thought," Isaac admitted sheepishly, "but it was the Wise One who spoke through him and asked that we accept the task. I figured that if it was such a mighty... er, thing asking it of us, it couldn't be a completely misguided decision." He shrugged halfheartedly, pushing through the usual smile. Mia shook her head quickly, her expression still troubled.

"Oh, no, it's not that I think it was a mistake at all." She reddened a little, from embarrassment, Isaac figured. "You and Garet seem perfectly apt and determined enough. It's just, I thought it'd be a bit much to ask someone..."

"We could have done without the 'it's gotta be you or the world is doomed' bit, but overall, I think it's what drove us to accept. So, it's kind of understandable," and once again, Isaac's tone came out as sheepish. He wasn't sure, but talking about the assignment of the quest was uncomfortable. He never failed to feel as though he was bragging.

"It wasn't a bad choice; the Wise One's, I mean." Mia looked up at Isaac shyly, her face still a tad bit red. "You're... pure of heart. And... very well suited." She looked away, pretending to be on the lookout for Ivan and Garet. Isaac scratched at his chin awkwardly. He'd never been good at receiving compliments.

"Th-thanks. But, you and, and Ivan of course, you guys seem that way, too. So, we all kinda fit into it together. This was supposed to turn out this way, I think," Isaac rambled, a nervous feeling creeping over his speech. Mia nodded, giggling lightly.

"Yeah. It certainly seems like... this is where we all should be." She smiled in a thoughtful manner. "The situation is dire, but Garet's rash behavior, Ivan's intellectual comebacks, your accepting demeanor... they make it all so much more endurable. Fun, in a way."

"You add much more than I do to the table," Isaac blurted out bluntly, not making eye contact. "And, so soon. It hasn't been too long. And, yet..."

"That's quite the compliment. Coming from the 'Leader'." Isaac looked up to see Mia smiling at him, and realized she was teasing. He made a noncommittal face, feigning a flattered look.

"Wha, Leader? Shh-yeah, that'd be the day." He grinned lamely. "I'm just the decision breaker is all."

"Decision breaker. Might as well accept the leader title." Her smile and stare quickened Isaac's pulse considerably. "Oh, speaking of which. Why does this room issue seem like such an... issue?"

Isaac blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Isn't it obvious?"

"...Apparently not so much for me," Mia admitted slowly, borrowing Isaac's sheepish expression. "I mean, this is the first time we've come to an Inn outside of Imil, which is when I stayed the last night with Megan and Justin, but is it really so weird?"

"Mia," Isaac started slowly, causing Mia to blink and redden slightly, "It just seemed as though it'd be an odd... gesture, I guess, to have you share a room with one of the guys. I mean... it seems as though it'd be most conflicting to you. In a way."

"Oh, I see. Well, it's not as though it's the same bed," she said rather quickly, causing Isaac to choke on a particularly prolonged breath of air. "Um, are you okay?" Isaac waved her off, indicating for her to continue. She laughed and did so, "So I don't think it matters either way."

"Oh, alright. That makes things a little less traumatizing." Isaac nodded at her, smiling politely. Mia returned it, and then reddened once again.

"But..." She hesitated.

"What is it?"

"You're the decision breaker, you said?"

"That's right." Isaac replied coyly and laughed. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, since that's your position, I guess I'll clue you in." Her smile widened, but her azure eyes shifted downward, her visual focus avoiding his completely. Isaac cocked his head at her.

"Clue me in? On what?"

"Well, um, decision breaker," She giggled lightly, and then continued. "Since it's only you... I'll clue you in by saying that out of the rest of the group, I'd probably be most comfortable it I got to share the room with you."

Isaac blinked and lifted a closed fist to his mouth, a vain attempt at hiding his newly blushing demeanor. "That's..." Mia continued evading his stare, but showed her attentiveness easily enough anyway. "That's reassuring somehow."

"Reassuring? You're such an enigma," Mia laughed softly, tracing the lace of the table's cheap mantel. Isaac looked up.

"Enigma? What-...?"

"SO, IT'S DECIDED." Garet tackled the back of Isaac's chair with such a sudden force that Isaac ended up getting pushed almost completely onto the table itself.

"What the-...? GARET."

"Sorry, buddy. But, look, see what I caught." He shoved a small creature into Isaac's hands with the pride of an accomplished toddler. "His name is Gust!"

"And he's mine." Ivan appeared suddenly behind Mia, whom was blushing rather profusely. "I did most of the work anyway."

"Whatever." Garet snatched the Djinni from Isaac's still-dumbfounded hands and stared at it with an intent happiness. "These things are so adorable!"

"Gust, bite him."

And so, the Jupiter Djinni did so, causing Garet to curse loudly and release him. He flew back to Ivan and hopped up and down excitably. "Master?"

"Very well done." Ivan smiled a caring smile and the Djinni happily disappeared into the folds of his clothes. "He's just like me already. I'm so proud!"

"Hmph." Garet couldn't conceal his annoyed expression, but was readily startled when a large hand derived from Psynergy shoved him suddenly. "Woah! Hey, what gives?"

"Garet, when you smashed into me," Isaac started cautiously, "you yelled, 'So, it's decided.' What did you mean?"

"Yes..." Mia added slowly, "I've been wondering myself..."

"Well, Ivan here and I happened to walk in when Miss Mia clued in our very own Isaac." Garet threw an arm around Ivan, who looked less than pleased at the motion. "And so, it was decided. The rooming problem, I mean."

"I don't know what he's talking about. I'm just ecstatic about my new Djinni," Ivan mumbled nonchalantly, slipping out of Garet's hold. "But, since it seems like a sufficient solution, I'll go with it. We won't count this as an agreement with the oaf."

"And Mia's clue counts as a third vote, so even if Isaac were to complain, which he wouldn't, he's outnumbered." Garet beamed at them, oblivious to Ivan's insult. Until... "HEY, I AM NOT AN OAF."

"You made the statue block the path three times. You're an oaf."

"Take it back!"

And once again, Isaac and Mia, red-faced this time around, were left to quietly oblige and watch their two teammates banter habitually.

* * *

_**Seemed like a good place to stop. And so, the two-shot was born. :D**_

Ivan: Lazy.

_**No one cares what you think. You're just the comic relief.**_

Sheba: Better that than pure sexual tension, though.

_**You don't know what the readers crave.**_

Ivan: Like you know any better? Miss On-Hiatus-For-Four-Years?

_**...Anyway, be sure to leave a review. It'll inspire me to write the follow up chapter much faster. :D**_

Sheba: She'll do it anyway. It's an empty threat.

_**...Oh, my chickens. -_- Re-reading it now seems the pace is too fast. What do you guys think? Lemme know. :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay, so, it seems that Sheba was right... I actually typed this up before getting any reviews. **_

Sheba: I am a Jupiter Adept. I know my stuff.

_**Anyway, I did it so I could begin working on a flameshipping one and not have to worry about this one. :D**_

Ivan: Somehow, that seems like anti-procrastination. But, just as bad.

_**I was going to be bashed, no matter what I said, SO WHATEVER.**_

Sheba: And, still, no stories featuring me.

_**The flameshipping one should feature you.**_

Sheba: I like this.

_**That makes me want to check FaceBook. D:**_

Ivan: Internet junkie.

_**D: Anyway, reviewer response time. :'D [heart]**_

* * *

_**Iwanishi Nana :**_ Haha, that's an excellent idea! It was so excellent, that I edited this chapter to make it have a scene with those two, xD Thanks for the review! :)

_**The Fanfic Reader**_ : Haha, I was so pleased with this review that I had to post the second chapter as soon as making the changes (above) xD And, actually, I was thinking of doing a fic just like that, so stick around. I'll need your support to keep it going :D

* * *

_**Ah, I do love receiving praise.**_

Ivan: And when you get flamed, you'll be crying...

Sheba: For weeks on end!

_**All lies! I can take it D: ANYWAY...**_

_**...CONTINUING WITH THE STORY NOW.**_

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own, nor claim ownership of Golden Sun or Golden Sun: TLA.

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two-shot.  
IsaacxMia  
_**The Question of a First Time**_

Chapter Two.

* * *

"Those two..."

Isaac sighed dispassionately as he clambered into his assigned room and dropped his belongings carelessly in the nearest corner. There it was, in all of its glory: the amateurishly decorated Inn room that he would be sharing with one very specific Imilian girl who was all too sweet and all too caring and all too beautiful; too much for his mortally designed brain to handle. He looked over at the two beds, which stood unknowing to the young boy's recent infatuation, and cursed their distance. Of course, it was a bit much to think of sharing a lone bed in such a short amount of time...

"Maybe I shouldn't have decided to invade your thoughts just then."

"IVAN." Isaac leaped a foot backwards, his somewhat girlish scream startling the sneaky Jupiter Adept in turn. "Wh-what are you doing here? I thought your room was across the hall..."

"It is..." Ivan stared at Isaac carefully with unmoving violet eyes. "But you just seemed so edgy. I couldn't resist."

"Ivan!" Isaac brought his palm forcefully to his forehead. "I thought it was an unofficial agreement that Garet is the one you provoke. Not me."

"Consider it a one time thing, then." Ivan smiled at the Venus Adept brightly, and then cheerily proceeded to exit the room. "Oh, Mia's just down the hall, coming this way right now. Just thought I'd let you know." With his reflexes being what they were, Ivan managed to evade the hurtling Venus Djinni that was chucked in his general direction by soundly shutting the door. The poor Djinni bounced right off of the wood, having been trained to not damage any sort of property, and landed safely on the carpet with a mild bump.

"I'm sorry, Flint. But... you were the closest thing around with potentially dangerous powers."

"I'm quite alright, Master. I think it's your arm strength that needs checking out," the Djinni replied cheekily. "Nice of you to refer to me as a thing."

Isaac stared at the creature, hesitant. "Having said that, I guess I can't be mad at you for being sarcastic with me." He sighed and tugged on his scarf. "Come on back." Flint nodded and dutifully retreated into the fold he had made his home in.

"Talking to yourself?" Mia poked her head into the room with a shy smile. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, no, I was just talking to Flint," Isaac hurriedly explained, "And, yeah, of course! It's your room, too." Maybe the wild gestures to walk in were a bit much, but he was too nervous to have a decent control over his overly drastic actions. Mia giggled and walked right in.

"Djinn... they are interesting creatures, aren't they?" She smiled slowly, and Isaac blinked twice to remind himself to answer.

"They are. Flint had to badger me on our first meeting for me to trust him," Isaac laughed, recalling the memory. "I was so confused, 'cause I'd never seen anything like him. But he said he would have tagged along anyway even if I had rejected his help." He patted the folded loops in his scarf fondly. "They all have their own personalities. It's highly amusing."

"It is." While listening to Isaac's short recollection, Mia had put her stuff aside in the opposite corner of the room. "That makes them all the better, though." She paused, stopping her habitual shifting from foot to foot. "Um, I'm going to go on ahead and change into my pajamas... In the bathroom. You know, since it is kinda late and we have to depart early..." She shrugged with a half smile and retreated into the bathroom. Isaac stared at the closed door, dumbfounded.

She was going to change... and then he would change... and that would be the end of that? They'd both sleep in their beds, and then wake up early and leave the night behind? Isaac shook his head. Somehow, that all seemed logical enough. Why had he imagined it any other way?

"Who am I kidding?" The Venus Adept reclined slowly into his bed, suddenly tired. "It hasn't been that long..."

But why was time really relevant? He knew how he felt, _now_, and he knew that it was highly improbable that it would change. So, wasn't it fairly innocent for him to let his imagination run farther ahead than what was likely? He turned over on his stomach, facing away from the door and burying his face into the Inn-scented pillow. Maybe it would be a bit much to make a move that night. But it wouldn't be too bad to strengthen the relationship, would it?

But if they were going to sleep, with no in-between talking- that wouldn't happen anyway, right?

"So complicated..."

"What is?" Mia's voice was slightly muffled by the pillow's cushioning, but Isaac had detected the volume loud enough for her to be out in the room again. He sat up straight, turning mutely to lock onto the blue-haired Imilian beauty.

And, there she was, standing at the foot of the bed, casually clad in her nightwear; a light blue nightgown that reached just below her knees. It wasn't see-through, thank goodness, but it still allowed Isaac to see more of Mia than he was used to- after all, she was usually dressed in her typical clothes from Imil, which easily blocked the view of her bare arms, looking pale and silky to the texture, and her legs...

"Um, Isaac?" Isaac quickly looked up to see Mia looking away from him, her face slightly red. "You don't have to stare so much..."

"W-was I?" The nervous boy widened his eyes in alarm and hastily turned aside, focusing on his forgotten rucksack. "So-sorry. I'm just. I'd never seen... well, I mean, no one has. But, what I mean is, I'm not used to you outside of your clothes." He stopped and nearly drilled his palm into his forehead. "That is, I mean, no one is, but I was referring to your usual clothes..."

"I wouldn't have taken you to be one who stammers much," Mia laughed, pulling Isaac away from his sudden distress. "But I guess there's a lot to be learned about you." She took a seat at the edge of his bed, causing Isaac to nearly fall over from a just barely evaded heart attack.

"Yeah, it's a weird habit," he relented slowly. He stayed where he was on the bed, his legs just a few inches from where Mia was sitting. "But... I must have picked it up from my dad." Ooh, sore spot. How in the hell did he let that slip?

"He must be a funny guy." Was. But, Isaac didn't feel like disturbing whatever mood they had going, so he let the mistake remain.

"Yeah..."

"What were you saying about complications?" Mia asked, lying back on the comforter suddenly. Isaac's heart beat quickened as the measurements of distance were considerably cut down. Her head was right next to his right leg, her face within reaching distance of his palm. She was looking up at him with her hair brilliantly splayed beneath her, her bangs tortuously falling away from her eyes.

"Um, complications. I was just lost on some thoughts is all." It wasn't a lie. And it was slightly mysterious. Didn't girls like that kind of thing? Isaac cursed himself for not properly listening to Jenna's rants about Prince Charming. What was it she had said once? Something about being confident?

"You seem to think a lot."

"You're too observant," Isaac laughed, earning an alarmed look from Mia. "I mean, our conversations tend to reflect on who I am, right?" He smiled down at her, bumping the top of her head lightly with his hand. "I want to know more about you."

"Oh..." Mia looked away, her complexion heating up. "What do you want to know? I have no secrets."

"It doesn't have to be a secret." Isaac corrected, tapping her head softly again. All nervousness aside, this seemed like the better route to take. "It could be anything. You were the lone healer of your hometown, so you're obviously very good at handling responsibility, and it seemed that way when you were chastising Ivan and Garet earlier. Good with even small things like that." He paused, reflective. "And, anything and everything we heard about you in Imil was in amazing praise... We were expecting to see someone especially grand when we finally saw you... and we weren't let down. Maybe surprised, but you exceeded our expectations by far."

The sentence sounded conceited, so Isaac tried to rephrase it, "Ah, but, I meant that we were probably somewhat doubtful of the villagers, but you were- are- amazing enough that it seemed like what the villagers did say wasn't enough..."

"Um."

"What's wrong?" Isaac looked down at Mia suddenly, losing the far-away glint in his eyes. Mia's face was particularly rosy, too much so for it to be from the story.

She didn't make eye contact. "Your hand..."

Somewhere in his monologue, Isaac had began to run his fingers through Mia's hair in a consistent motion, a kind of massage. The boy instantly reddened and hastily retracted his hand. Just as quickly, Mia looked up him, fully alert.

"I'm so sorry-...!"

"No, I didn't mind!" She blinked, alarmed by her somewhat passionate response. Embarrassed, she looked away. "It felt nice..."

"..." Quietly, Isaac brought his hand back down on the girl's head and resumed the motion. Slowly, the tension that had been risen in her shoulders vanished, and a look of complete relaxation dominated her demeanor.

"Hm," Mia murmured, her eyes closing. "I feel safe."

Isaac smiled softly, the warm feeling swelling in his chest, and watched her reactions more consciously now. Her eyelashes fluttered against the adorable red tint splashed on her cheeks, but her eyes remained closed.

"It's been a while since I have felt this safe... I think, since..." She trailed off, her voice just above a whisper.

"You don't have to say," Isaac replied in a similarly quiet tone, careful not to break the peace. "I'm glad, just knowing that, somehow."

"Isaac..."

He watched her, waiting for her eyes to open again, or for her to say something else, but there was nothing.

"Mia?" He continued to play with her hair and massage, but there was no response. He stopped, smiling, and leaned over her dormant face. Her breathing was deeper now, he noticed, a sure sign of her falling asleep. The last bit of her bangs was still slowly inching away from her eyes, so he took it upon himself to brush the soft strands out of her face. With no reaction even then, he leaned down further and lightly pressed his lips against her cheek. She stirred suddenly, so he quickly sat up straight, blood pounding hot against his ears.

Her breath came out in a carefree giggle, so Isaac turned away and silently awaited for some sort of remark. However, she only shifted slightly and continued to take deep breaths. Isaac swallowed hard, tremendously relieved, and sighed. She was dreaming already, laughing in her sleep.

The night had far from turned out how Isaac had imagined it, in both the best case scenario and the worst, but he was far from disappointed with the progress. Never unsmiling, he managed to pull apart the bed's covers and have her comfortably set up before he changed into his own pajamas and got into the opposite bed. That night, sleep came to him easily.

* * *

Meanwhile, In the forgotten location of Ivan's and Garet's assigned room, the two bantering teens had resigned to simply trying to get some shut-eye. However, their conflicting personalities was a considerable barrier that kept the long-awaited sleep at bay.

"What do you think they're doing?" Although the lights were off, and each was in his own bed, Garet could not help but voice his thoughts and hope for a good input on the blonde's part. "We should've stayed by the door..."

"You're so obnoxious. They're probably sleeping." Ivan was also awake, but more so from the routine of knowing Garet would not rest. Too bad he was sleepy and cranky that night.

"Sleeping. Together?"

"Only in your dreams, Garet."

"HEY, I SAID I'D KILL YOU IF YOU INVADED ME WHILE I WAS SLEEPING." Infuriated, the Mars Adept sat up abruptly in bed, but Ivan just groaned in exasperation and turned over.

"I hadn't...YET. But thanks for selling out your perverted thoughts without me having to look!"

"Oh... Well. This is awkward."

"I can't believe you have enough shame to feel awkward."

"I don't, actually. And, I'll bet you my breakfast that Isaac does not have the juevos to put the moves on Mia."

"...I am not taking you up on any bet relating to this."

"Stick in the mud."

"..."

"It's not fun if you don't argue back."

Ivan sighed. "I knew it wasn't one-sided provoking."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Do you think we could hear them if they got it on?"

"Oh, for the love of-..."

* * *

_**The next morning**_:

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NOTHING HAPPENED?"

"Garet, please, quiet down!"

"IVAN AND I TOOK IT UPON OURSELVES TO SET UP THIS PERFECT OPPORTUNITY, AND YOU GIVE ME NOTHING?"

"Quiet down, oaf. You're going to wake her up and humiliate Isaac some more."

"MAYBE HE DESERVES THAT. 'CAUSE HE FOR SURE DOES NOT DESERVE HIS BA-...!"

"GARET. Why do you have to go there?"

"BECAUSE, my friend, YOU DISAPPOINT."

"Or you're just a pervert looking for some dirty details."

"I AM GOING TO CRUSH YOU, RUNT."

Awakened by the sound of Garet's unnervingly loud voice, Mia sat up in her bed, her expression switching from sleepy to confused to alarmed. She blinked down at the bed, realizing it had been the one Isaac had chosen. So why was she...? Even more alarmed, she turned to stare at the bed's opposite, which was made and not at all disturbed. There was no way. She'd fallen asleep on Isaac, quite literally, but had they...?

"Oh, you're up!"

Instinctively, Mia drew the covers around herself and flushed a bright red color as she turned to Isaac, whom had just entered the room looking a little red-faced himself. "Um. Hi."

"Hi...?" Isaac blinked, puzzled by her undecipherable tone, and said, "Why are you looking at me like..." He stopped, analyzed the situation. "Oh. OH. No, no, no, no, it's not what it seems like," he started in that nervous kind of rambling voice he sometimes took on. "You see, you fell asleep. So, so I set up the bed for you. But- but I slept in the other one. I just got up a bit earlier, and so, I made it, so it'd be one less thing to do... you know?" Exasperated, he quit flailing his arms around and looked to her for a reaction.

"Oh, so that's how it was." Mia nodded slowly, understanding. "Oh. What a terrible assumption on my part. My mistake." She looked away, her face adorably red once again. "Oh... Well... this was fun." She slowly got out of bed and collected a few changing items as Isaac looked around the room shamefully. She smiled at him slowly before shutting the bathroom door. "Let's do it again sometime." Smile. Click of the door.

She heard footsteps, the main door opening, and a collective sound of three guys grumbling and falling over.

"What the hell. WERE YOU GUYS LISTENING?"

"SHE SAID IT WAS FUN. YOU ARE HOLDING OUT ON US."

"Garet, NOTHING HAPPENED. LEAVE ME ALONE."

"Seriously, Garet. We can get it out of him later. Just let it go."

"YEAH-...IVAN, what do you mean get it out of me later? No using Mind Read! You said it was a one time thing!"

"What was a one time thing?"

"NOTHING."

"SEE, NOW YOU TWO ARE HOLDING OUT ON ME."

Mia laughed quietly to herself, very much amused. Boys. They were such a riot.

* * *

_**All done. :D Somehow, the story didn't turn out how I wanted it to. The characters seemed OOC, and the writing was too hurried, it seemed, and and and, MY NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER AND MORE SYMBOLIC.**_

Sheba: This is just like school. You tell yourself you're going to not slack off, but then...

_**That's personal. D:**_

Ivan: With us, nothing is personal.

_**As displayed via Garet. Three cheers if you like Ivan's bashing personality in this fic! :D**_

Sheba: Probably the only good parts. Feel free to agree with me in your reviews. If you happen to leave one.

Ivan: Who would leave one?

Sheba: I know, right?

… _**Q_Q PLEASE REVIEW. **_


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